1. SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
4400 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, NW WASHINGTON, DC 20016-8017 202-885-2058
www.american.edu/soc
March 14, 2014
Critique of work by Julia Henning
Richard Benedetto, retired USA Today White House correspondent
Adjunct Professor, American University, George Mason University
1. Remains of missing Vietnam Soldiers laid to rest in Arlington
http://www.army.mil/article/106967/Remains_of_missing_Vietnam_Soldiers_laid_to_rest_in
_Arlington/
This a very thorough and emotional story on the burial of the heretofore missing
remains of three Army soldiers killed 43 years ago in a helicopter crash in Vietnam. Her
use of quotes from the sole survivor added a poignant human touch to the story.
She did a nice job explaining the process of finding and identifying the remains with
good details that help spotlight the spirit and dedication of those charged with that task.
She also brought life to outlining the actual incident in which they were killed.
If I were to make suggestions to make a good story even better, I would have her put
something up near the top on why they were missing so long, and tried to get quotes from
family memebers of those being buried.
Overall, this is a good story with great human interest.
2. 100 Year-old WAC Shares Army Memories
http://soldiers.dodlive.mil/2013/06/100-year-old-wac-shares-army-memories/
This is the kind of story people love to read, but sadly don’t get enough of in their
daily newspapers. It has great human interest and captures very nicely the 100-year-old
veteran’s indomitable spirit and undying love of her service to her country some 72 years
after she enlisted.
Ms. Henning used nice imagery in her anecdotal lede describing how the new recruit was
dressed when she joined, and continued using that great eye for detail throughout the
piece. This article was essentially a short biography of Ms. De Mumbrun which gives the
reader a good sense of her personality, her toughness and her joie de vivre.
One suggestion: since this is an Army publication, I would put more about her Army
service higher in the piece.

2. SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
4400 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, NW WASHINGTON, DC 20016-8017 202-885-2058
www.american.edu/soc
3. Evan Tan wins 2013 SA elections by one vote
http://chimes.biola.edu/story/2013/feb/21/biola-as-elections-results/
Good example of deadline-election reporting with the narrowness of the vote being the
main focus.
Great description of the emotions of the winners and losers as they awaited the count and
finally found out the result
Nice on-the-spot reporting, with nice color and quotes from several angles.
Excellent use of team reporting to produce one good, thorough and colorful story.
…Richard Benedetto